Fear Not the Spirit

Economic factors and corruption are the main stumbling blocks that hinder and in some cases reverse the attempts to protect Sundarbans and its wildlife. As the population grows larger, the greater the pressure to turn the world’s largest mangrove forest into a source of income. Poachers and illegal loggers have connections that allow them to continue their deadly trade with impunity. This is the prime theme of the environmental novel “Fear Not the Spirit”.

     Mubarak Al Mansur is the District Forest Officer of the eastern zone of the Sundarbans. Ever since he took office, he clashed with a vicious circle of bandits led by Ya. Ya and his men had been poaching and logging in the Sundarbans with impunity for decades. The arrival of Mubarak threatens the impunity they enjoyed for so long. Hence, Ya employs all his resources to remove Mubarak.

     Soon after he lands at the forest range, Mubarak organizes a raid against the most dreaded band of poachers. From the clutches of the bandits Mubarak and his men rescue two helpless tiger cubs whose mother has been killed by Ya and his men. During the clash, two of the poachers get killed but Ya manages to escape. Since then, Ya vows vengeance. He stalks the forest officer and his family. Meanwhile, Mubarak and his family raise the two cubs at the forest station. Mubarak’s children, particularly his daughter Zahra bond with the two orphan cubs. Zahra names one of them Habhati and the smaller cub Pesky. The cubs grow up accepting Zahra as their mother. Mubarak explains to Zahara the challenge ahead of them. They plan to release the two adolescent tigers in their natural habitat. Zahra knows if she cannot bring out the predatory instincts in the two adolescent tigers, they won’t make it in the wild. As the drama unfolds Pesky far exceeds what was expected of him, saving the life of the man who once saved his when he was just an orphan cub. 

     Way before that, with the help of her university friend, Zahra builds a device to train Habhati and Pesky to hunt. She knows if the two adolescent tigers cannot fend for themselves, they won’t survive in the wild. However, the risk of failure makes Mubarak step back from his plan. When Mubarak decides to hand over the adolescent tigers to the safari park Zahra protests. Despite Zahra’s objection, Mubarak transfers the adolescent tigers to the Gazipur Safari Park in Dhaka. Later, Habhti dies in the zoo and Mubarak brings back Pesky to the forest station for releasing him into the wild. Eventually, the bandit chief sets up a trap to kill the forest officer and the ensuing confrontation decides their fate. A twist of fate brings Pesky to the scene. When Ya was about to finish off the District Officer, Pesky does it to the unsuspecting crime boss, saving the life of the man who saved his life when he was a cub.

     In a subplot, Ya’s relationship with his family and men has also been revealed. Like all typical mafia godfathers, Ya is a man who will not tolerate any kind of betrayal or dissent in his circle. When he finds out about his wife Shetu’s illicit affair with another man, he lures her into the Sundarbans and throws her at the mercy of nature, conveying to his men what would happen to them if they betrayed him.